The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-05

A BEARDLESS YOUTH CHARGED
WITH RAISING A CHECK.


He Robs Boarding House and is
Asked TO Leave 1t-His Exploits With
the Altered Check-How He Tried to
Buy a Suit of Clothes With It-His
Arrest and Confession.
W. j. Whaley, young man who came
here from Charleston some three weeks ago
and who has since been employed in various
capacities by different parties, was arrested
yesterday and committed TO Jail for alter
ing or raising a check. Young Whaley
came TO Savannah about the
middle of July, and was first employed us
q painter which is his trade, on the steamer
Katie. He then secured employment at the
Vale Royal mills, but only remained there
q week A position as suffers assistant was
then obtained with the contractors of the
Savannah. Dublin and Western road, and
he was with them till yesterday. When he
first came to the city he secured rooms at a
boarding house at the corner of West Broad
and Congress streets, kept by Mrs. Munroe
CHARGED WITH STEALING CLOTHES
This lady gives, in substance, the follow
ing account of her experience with him. lie
went there with nothing and she trusted
door led into another occupied by Mr..
Gardiner About a week after he arrived
Mr. GARDENERS room was entered, his trunk
was broken open and SD on 80
worth of clothing stolen. As IT
happened, Mrs. Munroe learned
that Whaley had remained at home that
day, and it made her suspicious She cN-
ami.led his bureau drawers and found
shirt she saws that Mr.. Gardiner identified
as his This disappeared soon after and hav-
ing no proof she said nothing. She moved
Whaley up ono flight and one day found
other articles in his room that Mr.. Gardln-
or claimed. But in some way, these too dis
appeared They had some trouble and Mrs.
hlunroe told him TO leave He still owes her
Sl00 for board and the Sl2. 90 she had to
pay Gardner for the clothes stolen She
says, also, that Whaley partially admitted
the robbery and promised to repay her in
full if she would not prosecute him.
EVIDENCES OF FRAUD.
Wednesday he came in from where he
had been working, having left the place, as
be told his acquaintance He went TO Mr..
Browns store, across the street from where
he formerly boarded. and asked him to cash
check, showing it as he spoke. The check
was on the Savannah Bank and Trust
Company numbered 81 with the words. Fin
full" following after the numbsr, and
signed Grant q Mundy. In figures at the
space being left between the dollar mark
and the figure 4, and very little between
the and the fraction mark. 1t read:
PAY to the order of W. J. whaley Four
ty 5000 dollars"
Mr. Brown asked abQIt the spelling, and
why the ''ty' was in different ink, and
showed another handwriting Whaley
said it was all right; that Mr. Grant was i'll
hurry and had probably not noticed it
closely. Mr.. Brown refused to cash it, and
Whaley then went to several other stores i'll
the neighborhood, but failed 10 get it cashed.
1t seems he then went to the Pulaski House
in company with another employe of the
contractors The latter's check of so 81
was all right and Mr.. Watson cashed it.
When Whaley presented his Mr.. Watson
noticed the difference between the amount
in figures and that written. He also saw
the peculiar spelling and appearance of the
"Fourty," and refused to cash it, telling the
young man there was something wrong
about it.
THE FORGERY DISCOVERED.
Whaley then went to the stores of
Messrs Max T. Brown, S. X. Levin, Theo-
dore Basch and others, on Congress street,
and endeavored to buy goods, rendering the
check in payment. The check was taken to
several parti es by the merchants, but,
though ii was pronounced good, his very
eagerness made them suspicious, and they
all refused. Mr.. Thomas Basch went up TO
the Pulaski House with it, when il was pre-
sented at their store and Mr.. Watson
showed him the alterations. He also noted
that when it was brought this time a
cipher had been inserted after the
a. so as to make it read $40" but il was
put in so clumsily that he saw it at once.
Mr.. Basch returned and informed Whnlcy
OF the matter, charging him with the alter
alton. This he vehemently denied. and
Shortly after went out Going down to Mr..
Browns place, he asked for Joan OF SOC. or
so 70 get him a bed. Mr.. Brown would not
lend him any money but permitted him 10
sleep in an upper room.
HE THINKS HE WAS FOOL.
Mr. G. D. Mundy, of the firm, returned
yesterday and was informed of the affair
He ssvore out a warrant for Whaley at
Justice Molina's office at once and then
notified the bank of the matter Whaley
was arrested at the Savannah, Florida and
Western depot and arraigned before tho
Justice. In company with an officer he
went 10 his sleeping room and there handed
over the check. When asked by Mr.. Brown
why h. had acted so he said, Il don't know
why did It, | must have been q big fool :"
At the Justices office, when questioned, he
denied having any intention of taking the
$40 He said: Mr. Grant made a mistake
in spelling ii and thought | would add the
'ty' 10 it, as | thought that was the right
way. The Justice committed hIn 10 jail on
charge Of forgery.
HE WANTED TO BUY CLoSHEs.
He was after the ontiro sum, as at Max
I. Browns he offered to take $40 III cash
and the rest in clothing. At Mr. Basch's he
had selected goods TO the amount Of $23 45,
and at Mr.. Levins he had decided to
take $50 suit. So perhaps he
isn't so green as he tried to make out.
He is young man Of fair appearance, slim,
with pleasant, smooth features, and about
20 years old. He is spoken of very well by
his associates. He was very quiet, was not
inclined to drink, and his action in this mat
ter was great surprise to his friends HIS
family are honest, steady people, it is said,
and live on the South Carolina railroad,
about sixty miles from Charleston. Though
the alteration of the check was clumsily
done, yet dozens OF business men declared It
good, and would have cashcd it had not his
own actions awakened suspicion.